Former State Sen. Josh Revak, who ran for Congress last year as a Republican but didn’t place in the final four and ultimately dropped from the race, has been hired by Rep. Mary Peltola as her Alaska state director. He will be based in Anchorage but his position will allow him to travel widely across the state.
The news of his hire was first reported in the Must Read Alaska newsletter on Wednesday morning, where he was referred to as a “short list” candidate.
Revak is a former staff member for the late Congressman Don Young, and also worked as a member of the staff of Sen. Dan Sullivan.
“I am grateful to have Josh joining my team,” Peltola said in her news release.
Revak is a Republican, and Peltola is a Democrat. Revak was the choice of the lobbyist group in Washington, D.C. that had influence in Young’s office when he was alive. They backed Revak to fill Young’s seat, but voters had other ideas, even though Revak had the endorsement of Young’s widow, Ann Young.
Meanwhile, he had given up his seat in the Alaska Senate, where he served South Anchorage after being appointed to fill the seat left by the late Sen. Chris Birch.
But he has landed on his feet and will now be the point of contact for Peltola for Alaskans who are seeking assistance with federal agencies.
Another politico who is a registered Republican on the Peltola team is Alex Ortiz, chief of staff, who is from Ketchikan.
